One of the moving forces behind new development in Pea Ridge over the past 20 years has been Kevin Felgenhauer who was the driving force in building 12 subdivisions with a total of 996 lots in the city.
Felgenhauer died Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.
A native of Illinois, Kevin moved to the northwest Arkansas area in 2001 and to Pea Ridge in 2006, according to his widow, Linda, who said they moved here to be close to their grown children.
"Coming to this are was the best thing my husband and I could have ever done," Linda said. She said he had recently purchased a farm and cows, fulfilling a part of his dreams.
"One thing Kevin wanted and loved the most was that farm he bought not too long ago," she said, recalling he had said that he had worked all of his life and always wanted a little farm with cows.
She said Kevin learned the building trade from his father and had always been a dreamer and an entrepreneur.
Almost laughingly, she recalled a story about Kevin as a child, she said when he was a pre-teen, he ordered a dump truck full of pumpkins paid for by his savings and had it dumped on his front lawn to resell.
"He's always been a dreamer!"
"He had dreams for Pea Ridge and what could be done and how he could make it better," she said.
"Like Avalon -- it was a junk yard. He had a dream of what it could be," she said, referring to the property on the northwest corner of It'll Do Road and Slack Street. "He was a brilliant developer and self-taught engineer."
"He was a dogmatic personality," she said. "He loved people."
She said she has been amazed at the number of people with whom he connected.
A new development on which he was working was Bluegrass Downs, she said.
Subdivisions developed by Felgenhauer include The Oaks, 54 lots; Maple Glen, 119 lots; Maple Glen Phase 2, 20 lots; Summit Meadows Phase 3, 14 lots; Willow Run, 20 multi-family lots; Woodbridge, 36 lots; Fox Spur, 111 lots; Hazelton Heights, 188 lots; Belmont, 16 multi-family lots; Arlington, 156 lots; Avalon, 161 lots; and, coming soon, Saratoga, 101 lots.
"He loved it. Business was like a game... he was up at 4 a.m. every single day pouring over his papers. He was a workaholic," she said. "It was a fun life for us."
The Felgenaurs started, and still own, Tri-City Granite, and K-Vest Development. He worked in partnership with Winter Park Developers with Tom and Mike Seay, she said.
"Kevin has been a vital part in developing the residential developments in Pea Ridge more than 20 years," said Nathan See, superintendent of the Street Department.
"He cared about Pea Ridge and the future of growth of Pea Ridge. He would attend meetings just to learn more about the vision of where Pea Ridge was heading. It takes people like Kevin to grow communities the way that Pea Ridge has grown.
"He will be missed greatly by the City of Pea Ridge employees," Nathan See.
Se said Felgenhauer had been a pleasure to work with the past 10 years. "He was very pleasant and would do what was requested and follow the rules," See said. "He was a stand-up developer. He would do everything as it was supposed to be done."
Mayor Jackie Crabtree echoed that sentiment.
"Kevin was a vital part of the growth and vitality of our community," Crabtree said.
"He was aware of the potential of our community and was willing to invest in it. He chose to move to Pea Ridge and be a part of our community and we are a better place because of that. Kevin will certainly be missed and we extend our condolences to his family."
"Mr. Felgenhauer's dedication to Pea Ridge and his impact on the growth of our city is immeasurable. He will be greatly missed," said Ginger Larsen, City Council member.
